Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yonatalie’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yonatalie’, characterized by its upright plant habit; freely branching growth habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences; and bright yellow-colored ray florets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yonatalie’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective ofthe breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemumcultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms,attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inJune, 1995, in Salinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Shelley,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,993, as the female, or seed, parentwith an unnamed Chrysanthemum proprietary seedling selection, as themale, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered andselected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progenyof the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers,Fla. in November, 1996. The selection of this plant was based on itsdesirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and goodgarden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. since January, 1997, hasshown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yonatalie has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yonatalie’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yonatalie’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright plant habit.

2. Freely branching, dense, full plants.

3. Uniform and freely flowering.

4. Decorative-type inflorescences.

5. Bright yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Shelley. In side-by-side comparisons conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differfrom plants of the cultivar Shelley in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more mounded and uniform ingrowth habit than plants of the cultivar Shelley.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than plants ofthe cultivar Shelley.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences thanplants of the cultivar Shelley.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivarShelley differ in color.

Compared to plants of the male parent, plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffer in ray floret color.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Holly, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,992. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of thenew Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Holly in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more mounded and uniform ingrowth habit than plants of the cultivar Holly.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower more uniformly than plants ofthe cultivar Holly.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week later thanplants of the cultivar Holly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yonatalie’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yonatalie’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Salinas, Calif., underconditions which approximate those generally used in commercial gardenChrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a 15-cmcontainer in July, 2000 and plants were grown under natural seasonconditions. Plants were not pinched, that is, the terminal apex was notremoved to enhance branching. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages for typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yonatalie.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Shelley,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,993.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed Chrysanthemum×morifolium proprietaryseedling selection, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle; upright plant form. Stems initially upright, thensomewhat outwardly spreading giving a uniformly mounded appearance tothe plant. Freely branching with about 11 lateral branches per plant.

Plant height.—About 21 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 25 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 16.5 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internodelength: About 1.25 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Pubescent.Color: 144A.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 5.3 cm.Width: About 4.5 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Mostlyattenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses mostly divergent. Texture:Both surfaces, pubescent; veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Youngfoliage upper surface: Darker than 147A. Young foliage lower surface:Darker than 147B. Mature foliage upper surface: 147A. Mature foliagelower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface: 147B. Venation, lowersurface: 146B. Petiole length: About 1.7 cm. Petiole diameter: About 2.5mm. Petiole color, both surfaces: 146B to 147C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with quilled tospatulate-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals abovefoliage, arising from leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arrangedacropetally on a capitulum. About 12 inflorescences per lateral; about132 inflorescences per plant.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inlate September in the Northern Hemisphere and continue to flower for atleast three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter:About 8 mm. Phyllary color: 143A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.75 cm. Depth (height): About 1.4cm. Disc diameter: About 2 mm or less, inconspicuous. Receptaclediameter: About 5 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Quilled to spatulate. Length: About 1.7 cm. Corollatube length: About 1.2 cm. Width: About 3 mm. Apex: Acute, emarginate ordentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Orientation:Initially upright and incurved, then perpendicular to the peduncle;quilled to concave. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 185.Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 144A to 12A. Openedinflorescence, upper surface: 12A. Opened inflorescence, lower surface:12A to 12B.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 6 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: Less than 10. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: Apex: 9A.Mid-section: 154D. Base: 155D.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 45 to 50° from the stem.Length: First peduncle: About 3.7 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 6.5 cm.Diameter: About 2.5 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 15A. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been shownto be resistant to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been observedto be tolerant to rain and wind.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yonatalie’, as illustrated and described.